A major new nature restoration project has been launched at Reediehill Deer Farm, Auchtermuchty in Fife through a partnership between SSEN Transmission and rewilding charity SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, helping deliver lasting environmental benefits linked to the Tealing-Westfield overhead line upgrade project.

The project will see 18.5 hectares of former deer farmland managed for nature, creating new habitats that will support wildlife, improve biodiversity, and help strengthen ecological connectivity across the local landscape.

It is also a 30-year agreement, the first of its kind in Scotland. This long-term commitment from the landowners and SSEN Transmission ensures the successful establishment and management of the habitats.

Reediehill Deer Farm, above Auchtermuchty in North-East Fife, is owned and run by John and Nichola Fletcher. They came to Reediehill in 1973, starting what was the first commercial deer farm in Europe. John sold their deer breeding stock all over the world, winning the Queen’s Award for Export in 1990 for establishing deer farms overseas, while Nichola ran their renowned venison business Fletchers of Auchtermuchty. During that time, they had always encouraged natural diversity, planting kilometres of wide hedges in the 1980s and excavating ponds, earning several conservation awards. In 2012, they sold the venison business, retaining a herd of rare, white red deer from which they sell breeding stock. They then looked for alternative uses for the redundant deer paddocks.

This exciting project goes much further by creating around eight hectares of species rich grassland and 10 hectares of naturalistic woodland entailing the planting of more than 12,000 native tree species.

The project forms part of SSEN Transmission’s commitment to deliver Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) associated with its Tealing-Westfield overhead line upgrade project. The electricity transmission scheme involves upgrading existing overhead line infrastructure from Tealing to Westfield in Fife, with new conductors and equipment capable of carrying higher voltages, increasing network capacity and supporting the transmission of renewable electricity across Scotland.

The initiative marks the first project to be delivered through SSEN Transmission’s partnership with SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, which works with landowners across Scotland through its Northwoods Rewilding Network to support nature recovery and habitat restoration.

The start of the nature restoration project was marked with the planting of the first of 12,000 native trees at Reedehill Farm, attended by representatives from SSEN Transmission and SCOTLAND: The Big Picture. To mark the occasion, John and Nichola Fletcher invited their granddaughters, Harriet Bryce, 16, and Clara Bryce, 14, to plant the first trees, beginning the creation of a new native woodland on the family farm.

As the third generation of the Fletcher family, the sisters will have a special connection to the project, with the opportunity to help care for the land and see its transformation from agricultural grassland to woodland, wetland, grassland and heathland over the next three decades.

Projects such as Reediehill form part of SSEN Transmission’s wider commitment to invest £100 million in nature restoration across Scotland. Alongside delivering at least 10 per cent Biodiversity Net Gain on all its infrastructure projects, the business is supporting a range of habitat restoration initiatives designed to leave a lasting positive legacy for nature while enabling the electricity network upgrades needed to support Scotland’s clean energy future.

The Fletchers said:

“Turning agricultural land into unproductive grassland and woodlands of any kind is inevitably a difficult decision. We are only too conscious of the backbreaking labour our predecessors put into improving the fertility of this upland farm. However, it is not well suited to modern farming and we are very concerned at the dramatic decline of wildlife within our lifetimes.

“We now want to build on the work we started decades ago when we established our wildlife corridors. Our family is absolutely delighted that SCOTLAND: The Big Picture put us in contact with SSEN Transmission who have now joined with us in this exciting new thirty-year project. It seems extremely fitting that our two granddaughters should launch it by planting the first two trees for a thirty-year scheme.”

Katie Andrews, Nature Delivery Manager at SSEN Transmission, said:

“At SSEN Transmission, we’re committed to leaving the environment in a better state than we found it wherever we build and upgrade our infrastructure.

“We are delighted to be able to work with John and Nichola to help turn their inspiring plans into reality. The Reediehill project is an excellent example of how Biodiversity Net Gain can deliver meaningful, lasting benefits for nature at a local level and on a long-term basis – while supporting the vital infrastructure needed to deliver clean, secure electricity supplies for future generations.

“We’re particularly pleased that this is the first project to be delivered through our partnership with SCOTLAND: The Big Picture. One of the real strengths of our partnership with SCOTLAND: The Big Picture has been their ability to connect us with passionate and committed landowners like Nichola and John, creating opportunities to turn a shared ambition for nature restoration into action on the ground.”

Northwoods Rewilding Network Manager, James Nairne, has supported the Fletcher family with their nature recovery efforts at Reediehill Farm since 2024. He said:

“SCOTLAND: The Big Picture is delighted to have helped secure this investment at Reediehill. These partnerships show how private investment can help to deliver long term nature recovery across Scotland. We’re connecting investment in infrastructure with investment in nature, directing funding towards projects that can restore habitats and improve biodiversity.

“This 30-year commitment at Reediehill is an important milestone – the first long-term BNG agreement of its kind in the country, demonstrating the potential for new partnerships between businesses, landowners and nature organisations to help scale up nature recovery across Scotland.”

Reediehill Farm will deliver meaningful nature restoration within the local area, helping create new habitats and long-term benefits for wildlife, while also supporting Biodiversity Net Gain commitments linked to the Tealing-Westfield project.

This is a SSEN Transmission press release